I'll Find You There
by AugustSilence
Summary: Max has a little surprise for Chloe, but ends up being surprised herself... Pricefield! First story I've ever written on here, feel free to creatively criticize!


I'll Find You There

"Alright dude, seriously. Where are we going?" Chloe hated surprises.

"You'll see... Just be patient. And no peeking!" I replied. I led her by the hand down a small beaten path that ran up a hill through the woods. I turned to make sure Chloe still had her eyes closed and, noticing that the sun was almost setting, hurried along, dragging my blue-haired best friend behind me.

"Whoa man, what's the rush?" I heard her call out. She was struggling to keep up with me, not knowing where she was going.

"Nothing. You'll see in a minute. Just come on."

"Alright fine, but this better be goo-"

"Okay, open!" I interrupted, pushing her forward, excited to show off my handiwork. I had renovated the old tree fort from our childhood, and it looked _amazing_.

I had done it. Chloe Price was actually speechless. She took a moment to examine the nostalgic structure. She walked in a circle around the base, taking note of the new ladder and rope I had hung, as well as my _brilliant_ paint job.

"T-This is hella amazing, Max!" Chloe marveled.

"Thanks. I tried to-" Before I could finish my sentence, she charged towards me and I was trapped in her tight embrace in seconds.

I giggled. I had never seen Chloe so happy before, not in person... Not after William...

She released me from her arms and rested her palms on my shoulders.

"C'mon, let's go inside! I wanna see what else Mad Max has done!" she urged, her voice full of enthusiasm.

Of course, Chloe chose to use that badass new rope I hung up as her way of gaining entry into the fort. I watched her jump and pull herself all the way up. She always was strong.

 _That's my Chloe. Go bold or go home,_ I thought.

I clambered up the ladder and found the punk sitting in one of the cheap fold-out chairs I had placed in there, studying the pictures of us I hung up and some old graffiti we wrote when we were kids. I couldn't bring myself to cover any of it, so I just didn't paint the inside of the fort.

"Sorry. I know it's not much in here..." I said.

"Are you kidding, Max? This is awesome! It reminds me of when we were kids... We'd always be able to find each other out here... We even marked it on the lighthouse map..." She trailed off, focusing her attention on a picture that must've been taken a million Halloweens ago. We were dressed as pirates, ready to raid every house on the block for their candy-booty.

"I remember that," I teased. "You talked in that damn pirate voice for three days."

"I was the best fucking pirate in the neighborhood for those three days. And ye best not ferget it, matey, or ye shall walk the plank! Arr!" Chloe joked back, pointing towards the opening near the ladder.

"That's Captain Max to you, pirate!" I quipped, holding back a laugh as I glared at her. She glared back with the same intensity. This was now a "who-can-be-more-serious-for-longer" contest. Chloe was definitely winning.

Finally I gave in and cracked up, unable to keep it in anymore. Chloe followed soon after. "I miss those days. When we were kids and we could just hang together all day." she sighed and folded her arms behind her head, kicking her feet up on the old wood.

"Yeah, me too." I replied. I thought about how amazing it would be to be able to spend all of my days with her, never having to leave her side...

"Here. Check this out." I pushed open a large panel on the front to reveal a breathtaking view looking over all of Arcadia Bay. The giant, bright orange setting sun was painted across the ocean.

Chloe shifted in her seat as soon as she could see what was in front of her. "It's perfect, Max..." she said gently, taking in the sight. I peered over at my Che, gazing at the magnificent sunset. Her hair was tucked into her old black beanie, some falling in just the right place on her face, the sunlight framing her perfectly. She looked absolutely gorgeous. This moment felt irreplaceable. There was no other person in the world I would want to spend it with.

 _I could just rewind and live in this moment forever if I wanted. But then it wouldn't be a moment, I guess... And Chloe wouldn't be able to enjoy it with me..._

I decided to take a picture instead. My camera was always on me. It was like a second heart; I couldn't live without it.

I sat down next to Chloe and she turned her body to face me, her expression unreadable. I stared into her deep blue eyes. What could she be thinking?

"No one's ever done anything like this for me before..." she broke the silence. "Thank you, Max." There was a long pause in the conversation as we both looked out at the beautiful view.

"Hey," Chloe said. I could feel the tension in her voice. What is she nervous about? Chloe never gets nervous...

"Remember when I dared you to kiss me in my room?"

 _Holy crap. Does she? Did I? Is she? What?_

"Yeah, of course, I-" I couldn't finish. Chloe took my hands in hers. I felt butterflies in the pit of my stomach just from her touch.

"I dare you to do it again." She leaned in close to my face.

And our lips touched. This was the _best_ kiss I'd ever had. I never felt so many things before. I felt safe, I felt carefree, I felt awake. I felt like nothing in this world could ever harm me, so long as I stayed here, in this moment, with Chloe, feeling her lips pressed against mine, and our hands clasped together...

And then I woke up.

Chloe's familiar black beanie was locked within my tight grasp. After the hardest decision of my life, this was the only thing I had left to remember her by.

 _If only I could go back to Dreamland and escape with her forever..._

No. It was time to face reality. My best friend, my lover, my partner in crime, my everything, was dead. It had to be that way... For Arcadia Bay's sake. It was either her or the storm... Just like Rachel...

 _One day, Chloe. I promise, we will escape together. I'll always know where to find you._

I readied myself for another day without my Girl Wonder, and figured I might take a trip to that old fort before my classes started...

It looked exactly the same as it used to when we were kids, as if no time had ever passed there. I climbed up to the top and stared out over Arcadia Bay.

 _If only Chloe were here._..

Suddenly, something fluttered out of the corner of my eye. Was that a butterfly? A beautiful Blue Morpho landed right on the edge of the open panel in front of me. It was practically glowing, as if filled with some sort of spirit... It turned and flapped its wings once. I swear it was looking directly at me.

"Hey, Che. I knew I would find you here."


End file.
